Action this week in both the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate moves the legislative process forward in advancing a package of opioid policies that seek to address multi-faceted elements of the opioid crisis by expanding access to treatment and recovery, promoting prevention strategies, and enhancing law enforcement responses.

After weeks of work at the committee level, the House overwhelmingly approved more than two dozen bills aimed at addressing the opioid epidemic. The American Hospital Association highlighted the hospital community’s support for four specific bills:

H.R. 5176, the Preventing Overdoses While in Emergency Rooms (POWER) Act, introduced by Congressman Mike Doyle (D, PA-14), would provide resources for hospitals to develop protocols on discharging patients who have presented with an opioid overdose

H.R. 5197, the Alternatives to Opioids (ALTO) in the Emergency Department Act, would establish a demonstration program to test alternative pain management protocols to limit opioid use in hospital emergency departments

H.R. 5685, the Medicare Opioid Safety Education Act, would include opioid use and pain management resources in the "Medicare & You" handbook

The House is expected to consider additional bills next week with the goal of reconciling differences with whatever policy package the Senate approves this summer. Key policies to be considered next week would:

Improve information sharing among providers with regard to substance use disorder treatment by aligning 42 CFR Part 2 regulations with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act

Allow states to receive federal matching funds for up to 30 days per year for services provided to adult Medicaid beneficiaries with an opioid use disorder in an Institution for Mental Disease

Expand access to treatment services through payment changes that increase the availability of telehealth for addiction treatment and remove lifetime limits under Medicaid for medication-assisted treatment for substance use disorder

In addition to Finance Committee, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee and the Senate Judiciary Committee have already advanced their own legislation. The Senate is expected to move to consideration of a full package of policies later this summer.

A report released by the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council (PHC4) yesterday details hospitalization trends related to the opioid overdoses, showing that Pennsylvania is making progress in addressing the opioid crisis, but highlighting the reality that the opioid use disorder touches every part of the state and all demographic and socioeconomic groups.

Many of the policy provisions under consideration in Congress will take steps to reverse this tragic epidemic. HAP will continue to work with federal lawmakers to advance positive policy solutions.